Many great thinkers throughout history, ranging from poets and painters to physicians and philosophers, have surmised the likelihood of an underlying unifying order to all things of the universe, both material and immaterial. Quite often this mysterious unifying order has been equated to equations. That is, great thinkers often point towards mathematical sequences and equations as the basis for or an explanation of the origins of all things.

The Golden Ratio is perhaps the preeminent standard equation which has spawned inquiry and imagination in countless great thinkers throughout the ages. While its precise period of discovery is unknown, the Golden Ratio has been explored and utilized by ancient Egyptians and Greeks dating back to at least 400 BC. Since then, the Golden Ratio has been reinterpreted by all classes of thinkers and for all kinds of purposes. 13th century Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano Bigollo, also known as Fibonacci, expounded on the intricacies of number theory and depicted the golden ratio as a series of numbers that went on to be called The Fibonacci Sequence.

The Fibonacci Sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc.) is called a recursive sequence in that each number equals the sum of the two preceding numbers. This building or layering of numbers, when applied to material structures, creates a self-repeating curvature, a basic geometric shape that is seen in virtually all natural creations such as shells, leaves, flowers and even human anatomy. This geometric shape, or recursive sequence of numbers, is scalable to the immaterial realms as well. Divisions of space in the form of color, light and sound can also be found to exhibit this fundamental sequence of numbers as expressed through energy.

It is this understanding, this concept, that has informed Jane Balshaw during her many years in the beauty industry. Without this understanding of color ratio and balance, cosmetic colors are chosen for individuals which create a disharmonious visual effect. When colors are chosen which are in mathematical balance or harmony with the unique ‘geometry’ of an individual, the overall visual effect is one of beauty and health; the skin appears glowing rather than sallow, the eyes are glittery rather than dull, the hair is lustrous rather than brassy.